Breed History

 

Dogs bearing a ridge of hair growing in a forward direction along the back resided in South Africa by the early 1500s. The aboriginal Hottentots (also called the Quena or Khoikoi tribe) used these half-wild dogs for hunting in the African veldt. When Dutch, German and Huguenot immigrants, collectively called the Boers, brought European breeds with them to South Africa during the 16th and 17th centuries, the characteristics for the creation of a new breed, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, came together. The Boers needed a dog that could hunt a variety of game by sight and scent, possessed speed as well as endurance and had the intelligence and agility to avoid being hurt during a hunt.

The settlers wanted a dog that would protect their families and be good companions. The crossed their mastiffs, sighthounds and scenthounds, such as Great Danes, Greyhounds and Bloodhounds, with the native ridge-backed dogs to develop a multipurpose dog suited for life in a harsh homeland of scarce water, extremes of temperature and large game animals. The resulting dogs that retained the prominent ridge were the ancestors of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, as we know it today.

Introduced into Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in the 1870's, several big-game hunters, including Cornelius von Rooyen, recognized the value of the breed for hunting lions and established selective breeding in that country, where they are still very popular. In Rhodesia in 1922, the breed standard was written and has remained essentially unchanged. Initially recognized by the South African Kennel Club as the Rhodesian Lion Dog, the name was officially changed to Rhodesian Ridgeback in 1932.

Ridgebacks are a riveting combination of controlled strength and regal expression and tend to attract attention wherever they go. The hallmark ridge, a genetically dominant trait known to exist in only two pure breeds in the world, is the Ridgebacks most striking physical characteristic. The large athletic frame and dignified presence of the dog commands instant respect, but beneath the bodyguard exterior resides a surprisingly gentle, loving soul.

Investing your heart and your time in the friendship of a Rhodesian Ridgeback has many wonderful rewards. You will gain the loyalty of a dog that would gladly trek across the Kalahari Desert or to the ends of the Earth for you.